On my first trip to Washington D.C. last winter, everyone told me I needed to make sure I went to the Mall as part of my tour. Being a native from Houston, I assumed that this National Mall was a grandiose shopping center, rivaling the Galleria Mall in Houston. While you can certainly call the National Mall 'grandiose', calling it a shopping center couldn't be further from the truth.

The National Mall is actually a large park area that extends over 1.5 miles long from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol. Encompassed within this vast grassy field are the Washington Monument, the Reflecting Pool, Nine Museums, and a metro station among other things. There is a gravel trail around the Mall covering about 3 miles roundtrip, allowing you to see much of our Capitol City's history in one day.

The National Mall was originally conceived of by Pierre Charles L'Enfant, the planner of the Federal City of Washington D.C., in 1791. The Mall was supposed to be the "Grand Avenue" of the city leading to a point directly south of the White House. However, throughout the 1800's, the park area's prestigious purpose was abandoned. During the civil war, it was largely used for military training and activities and later a 14-acre tract of the land was turned into a railroad station.

In the early 1900's, Congress began the restoration of the National Mall based on recommendations from the McMillan Commission, and in 1909 the railroad station was removed. The Mall began to take the form that we see today throughout the 1900's as public museums were added along the avenues of the mall. In 1997, the Franklin D Roosevelt Memorial was added to the list of monuments that can be seen in the Mall.

Depending on your time available, the National Mall offers the opportunity to spend an hour or two enjoying the reflecting pool and walking around the park or several days to explore the museums, memorials, and gardens that create the 'Grande Avenue' envisioned so long ago by the Capitol City's planner, L'Enfant.